1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system, and in particular to a computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for identifying a subset of sensors to sample using timing-based criteria and using the identified time critical sensors to reduce the frequency of sensor access.
2. Description of the Related Art
As computing devices become more complex and run at greater speeds, sensors are increasingly being used to monitor the conditions of the computer components so that catastrophic failure conditions can be avoided. Modern processors contain sensors which provide information about local conditions on the processor or in the system. This local information may be used to monitor the processor or system, and possibly inform actions which will change the state of the processor or system. These local condition sensors may provide temperatures, path timings, or even voltages at particular locations in the processor and its associated circuitry. For example, temperature sensors may be used in association with processors and motherboards in order to determine when temperature levels of the processors exceed a threshold. Once the threshold is exceeded, various cooling devices or techniques may be employed to reduce the temperature to a safe level.
However, monitoring the sensors in the system at all times may be expensive in terms of processing time and may exceed system bandwidth. For instance, some sensors may provide information that is irrelevant at the current operating point of the processor, but are sampled regardless. Sampling of sensors which provide no useful information increases the amount of bandwidth, storage, and processing capability required to support sensor-guided decision making.